Second Battle of Sabine Pass
Part of theTrans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
Drawing of the battle
Date September 8, 1863 (1863-09-08) Location Jefferson County, Texas Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
William B. Franklin Frederick Crocker	Richard W. Dowling Leon Smith
Units involved
West Gulf Blockading Squadron	Company F ("Jeff Davis Guards"), 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment
Strength
5,000infantry 4gunboats 18transports	46infantry + 4 reinforcements[1] 6artillery pieces 1fort
Casualties and losses
Over 350 killed, wounded, or captured 2 gunboats captured	None

TheSecond Battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863) was a failedUnion Army attempt to invade theConfederate state ofTexas during theAmerican Civil War.^[2] TheUnion Navy supported the effort and lost three gunboats during the battle, two captured and one destroyed.

Often credited as the war’s most one-sided Confederate victory, the battle ledJefferson Davis to write in 1876 that he 'considered the [second] battle of Sabine Pass the most remarkable in military history.^[3]

France was openly sympathetic to theConfederate States of America early in theCivil War, but never matched its sympathy with diplomatic or military action. AfterMexican forces were defeated by French forces in summer 1863, Mexican presidentBenito Juárez escaped the capital, and the French installed AustrianMaximilian as "Emperor". With a de facto French government bordering Texas on the south across theRio Grande, the Confederates hoped to establish a formal route between Texas and Mexico by way of which the Confederacy could obtain much-needed supplies.

United StatesPresidentAbraham Lincoln was well aware of Confederate intentions and sent an expedition to establish a military presence in Texas and to discourage Maximilian from opening trade with the Confederacy. The military Federal force was commanded byMajor GeneralNathaniel P. Banks, a political general with little discernible command ability. Banks's original intent was to launch a combined Army–Navy campaign in northwestLouisiana. The Union plan was to send Union Navy warships from theMississippi up the tributaryRed River, which was navigable upstream as far as where the boundaries of the Confederate states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas came together. The Union had effected itsCapture of New Orleans on May 1, 1862, and after the July 3, 1863 surrender of ConfederateVicksburg, the Union military had better control of both the east and west banks and of the mouth of the Mississippi. Unusually low water in the Red River at this time, however, prevented even relatively low-draft Uniongunboats from operating effectively, and the anticipated overland Union invasion of Texas was further delayed.

Consequently, General Banks ordered his subordinate Major GeneralWilliam B. Franklin to coordinate with the U.S. Navy, to enter theSabine River from theGulf of Mexico and defeat the small Confederate detachment at "Fort Sabine" on the river's west bank (Texas side) atSabine Pass. about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of the river mouth. The key U.S. Navy target in theFirst Battle of Sabine Pass was the original earthworks thrown up on the Texas bank of theSabine River about three miles (4.8 km) south ofSabine City, a tiny town with some wharfs on the east side of its main street.

The U.S. Army battle plan was that after the U.S. Navy gunboats silenced the guns of Fort Sabine, thewave of about 200 U.S. Army infantrymen, riding the deck of one of the main fleet's reserve gunboats, would debark immediately below (east) of the fort and effect the fort's surrender. The main fleet, less than five miles offshore and well beyond Confederate gunfire, contained as many as 20 vessels, which carried U.S. Army regulars—as many as 5,000 men, according to Official records. A small artillery was included. The company-size initial landing force was to then take Sabine City and secure the area for the main force. After the main force was landed and united with the initial assault company the intention was to march the few miles north to the railroad and cut the railroad between Houston and Beaumont. Once done, the Army force would march east, presumably destroying the rail line as it went, and attackBeaumont. This action would deny Sabine Pass and the natural shallow-water harborSabine Lake upstream from the Gulf about 6 miles (9.6 km) toblockade runners.

Considering the dominant size of the Union expeditionary force, taking control of Sabine Pass and environs was not expected to be a great challenge to the U.S. forces. To prevent intervention from Confederate forces in Louisiana that consisted of Brigadier GeneralThomas Green's First Cavalry Brigade and Brigadier GeneralAlfred Mouton’s infantry division, the Union division of Major GeneralFrancis J. Herron moved toMorganza as a diversion, which precipitated theBattle of Stirling's Plantation.

Fort Sabine had been renamed "Fort Griffin" in honor of an earlier commander, Confederate Lt. Colonel W. H. Griffin, although this was not shown on Union maps since theFirst Battle of Sabine Pass in late September 1862.^{[4][note 1]} The Confederate detachment residing at the Sabine Pass fort was the Jeff Davis Guards (named for Confederate presidentJefferson Davis), a company of mostly Irish-American men from theHouston andGalveston area, recently had merged into the First Texas Heavy Artillery. They were stationed at the hastily built earthworks a mile (1.6 km) upstream (north) on the southwest bank of the Pass. When the battle began with the Union gunboats' bombardment on September 8, 1863, at the fort were forty-six men; all but two or three were members of the Davis Guards.^[5] Under the immediate command of LieutenantRichard W. Dowling, the Davis Guards had mounted their unit's six old smoothbore cannon on the elevated platform of the small earthen fort. Although unimpressive to Union observers and scouts, the fort's gun positions were high enough to afford a clear view to the horizon for many miles: the flat marshlands stretched northeastward into Louisiana, westward toward Houston, southwestward toward Galveston, northward toward Port Arthur and Beaumont, and southeastward into theGulf of Mexico. The nearest observation point affording a view of Fort Griffin, other than from the mast "top" of a naval vessel seaward of the Pass, was theSabine Pass lighthouse on the Louisiana (opposite) side of Sabine Pass at the mouth of theSabine River.

On the afternoon of September 8, 1863,U.S. Navy LieutenantFrederick Crocker ("Acting Captain") was in command of theadvance squadron composed of fourgunboats.^[6] Crocker was a veteran officer of considerable recent experience in Union river-gunboat actions andblockade duty. His ship was theUSS Clifton, a steam-powered side-wheeler. BesidesClifton, Crocker's advance squadron includedGranite City,Sachem, andArizona, all former merchant ships.^[7] Less than three miles southeast downriver, well out of range of the Confederate fort's cannons, were anchored seven U.S. Navy transports carrying most of the U.S. Army soldiers of the landing force.^[4] TheU.S.S. Suffolk, hosting invasion force commander U.S. Army Major General Franklin and his staff, headed the seven-vessel squadron. Outside the principal Gulf shoresand bar, an additional two miles (3.2 km) downstream of this squadron, lay at anchor the remaining ships of the 22-vessel invasion fleet. The cited contemporary U.S. Army map shows the nominal positions of the bombardment fleet of four, the seven ships of the transport squadron, and the relative position farther out in the Gulf of the remaining vessels. The official reports of the battle generally reflect the map's information.^[8] The total number of Union infantry assault troops in the landing force is given as 5,000 infantrymen, which included 500 listed as aboard theGranite City, those aboard the sixtroop transports in the seven-ship squadron headed bySuffolk, plus an artillery company somewhere among them.^[8] The first wave of 500 men aboardGranite City which steamed as close behindClifton as possible but out of range of the fort's guns, were to land in the open space adjacent to and downstream of the fort. This was a flat, often muddy area already cleared of brush by the Confederate garrison as a clear field of fire for the canister and grape of the fort's artillery. The U.S. Army's invasion plan, therefore, absolutely required that the Confederate guns be silenced before any troops were debarked. This engagement was to be the largestamphibious assault on enemy territory in the history of the U.S. military up to that date.

Leon Smith, who was atBeaumont, Texas, immediately ordered all Confederate troops in Beaumont, some eighty men, aboard the steamerRoebuck and sent them down the river to reinforce Fort Griffin. Smith and a Captain Good rode to the fort on horseback, reaching the fort some three hours before the steamer, arriving just as the Union gunboatsUSS Clifton andSachem came within range, and assisted in the defense of the fort.^{[9][1][10][11][12]}

Dowling's well practiced Irish-Texan artillerymen, whose chosen and officially approved unit name was "Jefferson Davis Guards", had placed range-stakes in the two narrow and shallow (5-to-7 feet or 1.5-to-2.1 m) river channels. These were the "Texas channel" near the southwest shore and the "Louisiana channel" against the Louisiana shore. The white-painted stakes were for determining accurate range of the fort's guns: six old smooth-bore cannon. Each "Davis Guards" gun crew during gunnery practice thereby worked to predetermine the approximate charge (amount of gunpowder) needed for each type projectile available for their specific gun (ball, canister, or grapeshot); and which specific guns, charges, and loads had the best potential to hit each range-stake.

Crocker's squadron had no local river pilots, but only general knowledge of the river's channels, and no assurance of locations of the constantly varying depths especially of large oyster-shell "reefs" or "banks" between the river's two channels. Regarding this battle no mention is found in official U.S. Navy reports of whether Union sailors were making observations and takingdepth soundings from the gunboats' now dangerous top decks, while the Confederate cannon shots pounded and shook their ships. The few maps to which they had access were old and outdated or could not account for recent changes in river-bottom conditions. On Captain Crocker's signal theSachem, followed byArizona, advanced up the right channel (Louisiana side) as fast as they dared, firing their port-side guns at the fort.Clifton approached in the lead, ascending the Texas channel at full speed.Granite City hovered out of range behindClifton, having orders not to risk debarking the 500 assault troops until the fort surrendered or its guns were silenced. AsSachem entered among the range-stakes, the Confederates opened fire. ThenClifton came into range, followed byArizona. Despite their old smoothbore cannon, one of which had just become inoperable, after only a few rounds it was obvious the Confederate artillerymen's months of training and target practice was an astounding success as their aim was deadly accurate.

The Confederates capturedClifton andSachem with a total of 13 heavy cannon, including at least two new potentParrott rifles, which were handed over to Leon Smith'sTexas Marine Department.^[9] The Union casualties amounted to two dozen killed and badly wounded, about 37 missing, and 315 Navy men captured. The combined Union Army and Navy invasion force withdrew and returned toNew Orleans. The Confederates had no casualties.

In recognition of the victory, the Confederate Congress passed a resolution of special thanks to the officers and men of the Davis Guard. In addition, Houston residents raised funds to provide medals to the Guard; theDavis Guards Medals were made from silver Mexican pesos by smoothing off the coins, then hand-stamping and hand-engraving on one side, the battle name and date and on the other side the initials "D G" and across pattée. The medals were hung on green ribbons, and presented to the members of the Davis Guard.^[13][14] The official Confederate silver medals were presented in a public ceremony a year later.

The Battle of Sabine Pass was of moderate tactical or strategic significance to the Civil War. It was successful in ensuring that the anticipated overland Union invasion of Texas was delayed indefinitely. A Confederate supply line from Mexico to Texas had existed out of thePort of Bagdad, since the outbreak of the war but was held by the increasingly isolatedMexican Republicans. By the time Imperial French and Mexican forces captured Bagdad in 1864, a supply line to anywhere in the Confederacy east of the Mississippi was no longer feasible on account of the Union victory atVicksburg in July 1863.^[15] The Confederacy was therefore forced to continue its reliance on blockade running to import valuable materials and resources.

• List of conflicts involving the Texas Military
• Texas Military Department
• Texas Military Forces
• Awards and decorations of the Texas Military

• Cotham, Edward T. Jr.,Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae, University of Texas Press, Austin, 2004.
• Banks, Raymond H. (2025).General Nathaniel Prentice Banks: The War Years (Sabine Pass section). Orlando: R.H. Banks. p. 778.ISBN 979-8-218-83208-7.

• National Park Service battle description
• History Under Siege: Sabine Pass battlefield designated by CWPT as one of the top 10 most endangered Civil War battlefields of 2009
• CWSAC Report Update

29°43′13″N93°52′15″W / 29.72028°N 93.87083°W /29.72028; -93.87083

• Battles of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War
• Naval battles of the American Civil War
• Confederate victories of the American Civil War
• Battles of the American Civil War in Texas
• Jefferson County, Texas
• 1863 in the American Civil War
• 1863 in Texas
• Riverine warfare
• September 1863

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